Gianfranco Zola appointed Birmingham City manager

Gianfranco Zola has been appointed as the new manager of Birmingham City, replacing the sacked Gary Rowett.

The Blues, who are currently just outside the playoff places in the Championship, have agreed a two-and-half-year deal with the 50-year-old Italian.

Zola has been out of work since June, when he was sacked by Qatari club Al-Arabi after only one season in charge. However, club director Panos Pavlakis is adamant that Birmingham have hired a manager of quality. He said: "Zola's pedigree, philosophy and ambition fits with what we would like to achieve as we move in a new direction."

Prior to that, the former Chelsea striker had spells in charge of West Ham United and Watford, as well as Serie A side Cagliari.